Lasers are driven by current such that more current equates to more light. However, current also causes the laser to self-heat. As the laser heats, the current required to produce a given amount of light increases. If the laser's emitter temperature is known, it should be possible to accurately determine the current required for a desired amount of light. Accurate measurement of the laser's emitter temperature is extremely difficult and takes time. The laser temperature tends to change so rapidly that it's not practical to measure the emitter temperature or by the time the emitter temperature is measured the value is stale (e.g., inaccurate). The present concepts offer techniques for predicting the laser emitter temperature in near real-time (e.g., fast enough) as well as a method for determining the amount of current required to get the desired amount of light. The high-speed temperature prediction techniques can be applied to laser-based raster image displays to produce high image quality and thereby enhance user satisfaction.